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RAPIDES PARISH

SPECIAL EDUCATION

AT A GLANCE

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QUALIFYING FOR �SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES

  • If an individual age 3 years to 21 years old is suspected to have a disability, there are two ways to receive an screening/evaluation
  • 1. If the individual is not registered in a public school or a private school contracted with the school district, the evaluation is conducted through the Child Find program at J.B. Lafargue.
  • 2. If the individual is registered in a public school or a private school contracted with the school district, the evaluation is conducted at the school through the School Building Level Committee (SBLC).

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ONCE AN INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIES FOR �SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES

  • An initial evaluation will be completed to determine if an individual qualifies for special education services.
  • If they do qualify for an exceptionality and/or related services, an IEP (Individualized Educational Program) is developed by the IEP team to address the areas of need.
  • The IEP team consists of the parent(s), special education teacher, regular education teacher, related service providers, and an Official Designated Representative for the school district along with anyone that the parent wishes to attend with them.

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EXCEPTIONALITIES

  • The term exceptionality refers to the student’s area of disability.
  • Examples include: Autism, Deaf or Blind, Developmental Delay, Emotional Disability, Giftedness, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Orthopedic Disability, Other Health Impairment, and Specific Learning Disability.
  • If a student qualifies for the exceptionality of Developmental Delay, he or she must be reevaluated by the age of 9 to determine whether the student is eligible for another category.

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RELATED SERVICES

  • Related services are supports that a student with a disability needs in order to benefit from special education.
  • Examples include: Speech, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), Adaptive Physical Education (APE), Assistive Technology (AT), and School Nursing Services.
  • Students can qualify for certain related services, such as speech, without qualifying for special education services.

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PROVISION OF SERVICES

  • During the IEP meeting, the team determines how the student’s needs will be addressed by school staff and sets goals and objectives in each area of need.
  • The staff is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress towards these goals and objectives and reporting each nine weeks on a progress report.
  • Meetings to update the IEP should be help a minimum of once a year, but may be held as often as needed.

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REEVALUATIONS

  • The initial evaluation can qualify the student for special education services for 3 years. At that time, a reevaluation must be conducted to determine whether the student continues to qualify for services.
  • A reevaluation may also be conducted if it is suspected that a student may benefit from a change in placement.

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PLACEMENT

  • Students receiving 228 minutes or less in the special education setting are considered resource students. Resource students may be served in the regular classroom or in a separate special educational setting according to his or her needs.
  • Student receiving over 228 minutes in the special educational setting are considered self-contained. A reevaluation must be conducted before moving a student to a self-contained setting.

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PROGRAMS

  • Rapides Parish currently has a program to meet the needs of resource students in every school.
  • Specialized programs such as High Needs, Moderate, Severe, and Behavior Support classes are only offered in limited schools in both Alexandria and Pineville.

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Common Acronyms

IEP - Individualized Education Program

IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

FAPE - Free Appropriate Public Education

LRE - Least Restrictive Environment

504 Plan - Section 504 Plan

ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act

ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis

SLP - Speech-Language Pathologist

OT - Occupational Therapy/Therapist

PT - Physical Therapy/Therapist

ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder

LD - Learning Disability

EBD - Emotional and Behavioral Disorder

BIP - Behavior Intervention Plan

ESY - Extended School Year

LEA - Local Education Agency

FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

IFSP - Individualized Family Service Plan

RTI - Response to Intervention